ABQ Journal Live Interviews Online: The bugs that bug you

Liz:

How do I get rid of crickets? They are taking over - backyard, patio, garage, inside!

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Niban Bait, which is made from boric acid works well for crickets. It is available online from www.ljdistributors.org

Mike Maurer:

How would you get rid of bed bugs? We have found them in my sons room? Should we dispose of the mattress? He also has a wood head board and foot board with many cracks where the pieces are attached. Should these be disposed of? Are there any pest control firms you recommend?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Bed bugs aren't hard to get rid of but it is very hard to describe how to do it via email. You can see how it is done on my DVD, which is available on my website (www.askthebugman.com).

I can also help you if you like. Contact me at richardfagerlund@yahoo.com

Laura:

We have black widows everywhere around our yard...and I mean everywhere: along the gates and fences, within the wood pile, along the trees, sandbox, water spigot, all the places where our little one likes to play. What's the best way to get rid of the spiders?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Search them out and dispose of them one at a time. Black widows are overrated and rarely bite everyone, so they are not a major hazard. There are far more black widows in Albuquerque then there are people and you rarely hear of anyone getting bitten. You can kill them individually with a product called PT 565, which is available online at www.ljdistributors.org.

Linda:

What can I do to get rid of the yellow jackets that fly around my flower pond -- I can't spray them because of the fish in the pond

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

There isn't much you can do. When you have fish ponds or swimming pools in a dry climate as we live in, you will attract unwelcome guests that will be impossible to control.

If you can find the nest, you can have someone eradicate it for you, but that probably won't be practical, unless the nest is on your property.

Mark Smith:

At my home in the east mountains, we have a real problem with no-see-ums or soemthing of that sort (tiny biting gnats). If my kids go outside to play, they get numerous bites in minutes. Questions: Exactly what are these (best guess, since I know an absolutely accurate assessment is impossible w/o observation)? Why are they so bad this year? What can be done to control them?

Thanks, Mark

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

No-see-ums are biting midges that belong to the fly family Ceratopogonidae. They breed in very damp soil and they are active this time of year. I also live in the mountains and we have plenty of them. I would recommend wearing a good non-DEET insect repellent when you go outside. They are virtually impossible to control with or without pesticides.

Laura:

Cockroaches are super bad this year... I had the city spray the sewer and water openings, and we have treated the house... but they seem to have dug in a colony underground in the front yard... is that unusual?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Roaches don't colonize, but they can live in large aggregations. Try using Niban Bait in and around the house and that should help. Spraying with pesticides has only limited affect. Niban is available online at www.ljdistributors.org. If you need help applying Niban the first time, let me know and I can show you how.

Janice Lopez:

I am new the area. I was up in the Sims Park the othr night for a talk and there were so many biting bugs - i felt like i was in Florida - why are there so many bugs at this elevation and in the desert?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

They are probably biting midges or no-see-ums which are active now. There isn't anything you can do except wear a good non-DEET insect repellent when you go in an area where the bites occur.

Joe boucher:

Why do I have ants that are very persistant. I put out traps and they just keep coming back?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

There are at least a dozen different ant species in Albuquerque that commonly get in homes. They all have their favorite baits. You are probably using the wrong bait for the species of ant you have. You need to get them identified so the proper bait can be used. If you want, send me some in alcohol and I will ID them for you. My mailing address is PO Box 203, Sandia Park, NM 87047

RON VAUGHN:

Here's an obvious one: how can I eliminate the moths that are so abundant in my house lately? What kind of damage wil they cause if I let them roam free?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

It depends on the moth. Clothes moths can damage wool and cotton clothing. Pantry moths can damage various dry foods. Common miller moths won't do any damage at all.

Nancy:

Do we have "chigger" like bugs here? I've been getting bit around my ankles and lower legs lately when working outside -- go grass, East Mountain elevation.
Thanks

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

We don't have the chiggers that are so well known back east. We have our own species but they don't bite people, they bite rodents, rabbits, etc. You are probably getting bitten by no-see-ums or biting midges which are active right now in the east mountain area.

Elisabeth Trujillo:

I am always finding cockroaches in my shower and the kitchen. Is is that they like water. How can I prevent them from coming into my shower and my kitchen.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

They are coming up the drains. You should probably put some drain cleaner in your drains weekly and then keep them covered at night with stoppers. If you don't have a stopper for the shower drain, fill a sandwich size ziploc bag with water and put that over the drain. That should solve your problem.

bg:

I have a huge swarm of flies hanging out in the cool stairway outdoors that leads to my basement. I would like to discourage them from congregating there as I just cannot breathe in for fear of inhaling them on my way down the stairs.

Perhaps a large horsetail attached to my forehead would work. Any other suggestions?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

If they are just flying around randomly, then they are little house flies and you will have to find and remove what they are breeding in. Unfortunately they can breed in anything organic such as grass clippings, compost piles, pet feces, etc. and you may just have to live with them if you can't find and remove the breeding sites.

Sarah:

I have a wasp nest inside a cinderblock wall bordering my house. The wasps use an entrance that is very near my back door. Is there anything I can do to encourage them to use a new entrance/ move to a new spot? (Without cementing them into a tomb)

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

No, you can either kill the wasps or live with them, but you can't relocate them or get them to use another avenue. Bees can be handled and moved but wasps cannot.

Sarah:

I have multiple box turtles living in my back yard, as do many of my neighbors. I think some of them may be older than the houses (built in the 1950s) I have all sizes/ages. I would like to preserve/enhance their habitat in my yard. I know they eat bugs among other things. My question is, how can I ENCOURAGE the bugs that the turtles like, without accidentally making my yard infested/ making it impossible to grow things.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

You probably can't as turtles will eat ground crawling insects but not flying insects so plants won't help. Putting out oatmeal for cockroaches and crickets may help a little, but you may get an influx of both.

Bob Hunter:

Sir,
At my house (Trumbull and San Mateo), home inspectors found termite tunnels inside the crawl space on the concrete wall below wooden wall supports.
This house is being sold, Whom would you suggest I hire to competently treat this problem?
Thank You!

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Call Preventive Pest Control at 792-8380. Ask for Chesley. They are absolutely honest and competent and that is rare in this industry.

eli:

A small section of wallboard in our house has some damage -- it looks like something may be chewing it. Small flakes of paint fall off periodically. How can we tell if it is termites, and what do we do about it if it is? (We have extreme sensitivities to pesticides and many chemicals.)
Thanks.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

It sounds like termites, but I can't be sure without seeing it. You should get your house inspected. I can recommend an honest company if you like or I can do it for you. Call me if you like at 385-2820.

George Castleman:

Need help keeping crickets out of home in Alamogordo NM.Any suggestions?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Niban Bait around the home and inside in a few places will help. Niban is made from boric acid and is relatively safe.
It is available online from www.ljdistributors.org

Mal:

we have many pine trees on ourproperty. I usually get the pine tip moth spray, at least the first treatment. We have been away until now. What happens if we forgo the treatment and is it still timely to have the treatment done ?

Many thanks,

MB

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

No, it is too late to have the treatment and I suspect your trees will be fine. Pine trees can sustain lots of insects and unless the trees are heavily infested, spraying isn't necessary.

Merrill Jones:

What are those small white butterfllies that we are seeing so amny of this year?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Cabbage butterflies. You can GOOGLE them and get all the info you need on them.

Antonio Molina:

What is going on with all the moths in ABQ. It appears that they are gonig away but for a few weeks there were thousands of them.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

They are going to the mountains to start laying eggs. They will return later in the summer, at least the ones that survive the predators in the mountains.

Elizabeth Paak:

what is the best way to get rid of ants in our kitchen? (we live in albuquerque)

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Get the ants identified and then use the proper bait. One of the best baits for many ants is two tablespoons each of peanut butter and jelly mixed with a teaspoon of boric acid. Place the bait where the ants forage, but out of the reach of kids and pets. If the ants don't take it, you will definitely need to get them identified.

Michelle:

I have two black widow spiders living at my back door. They've been there for year and I've had no problems. However, my house will be re-stuccoed on Monday and the spiders have to go. I don't really want to try catching them. What would be the most humane way to kill them?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Spray them with a pyrethrin spray such as PT-565. That will shut down their nervous system and they won't feel any pain. PT-565 is available online at www.ljdistributors.org

Ginger:

Does Diatomaceous Earth work to kill ants?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Diatomaceous earth will kill any insect if you put it where they have to go through it.

Ed Grundmeier:

We have small(3/8 of an inch long)flying in our garage and laundry room, then into the house. They look like small moths or millers. How can we get rid of them. I have pictures if there is a way to email them.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

You can email them as an attachment to me at richardfagerlund@yahoo.com. If they are millers, they are harmless.

Joan Vernon:

I have these small moths flying around my house. I have clean everything out but can't seem to find out where their coming from. They're about 1/2 or less in size. I have had them for a long time. You notice them fly more at nite.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

They are probably either clothes moths or pantry moths. If they are hanging around closets, they are the former and if you see them mostly in the kitchen, they are the latter. Both types can be controlled with pheromone traps that are available online at www.ljdistributors.org

If they are randomly flying around the house, they are probably neither and will do no damage.

Virginia:

What can I do about roly polies in the house? I have a strip of annuals,petunias,and a few perennials along a portion of the house. also, roses that are close to the foundation.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Sweep them up. Pillbugs (roly-polys) are crustaceans and not insects and require moisture. They will quickly die in your house.

Bonnie Buntjer:

I have honey bees in my eves. please give me information on contacting beemen. thank you. I am alergic to bees.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Call Collin at ABC Pest Management (294-6601). He can remove them and give them to a beekeeper.

george:

I've bought your dvd & I read your column. Is there a link on your website to read previous questions and answers of your column ?

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

I don't have them archived on my website, but the Journal has them all if I am not mistaken. The person who edits this answer may be able to clarify it.

Bonnie Buntjer:

I would like advice on how to remove and relocate honey bees. they are in my eves and I am alergic. thank you

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

You will need a professional. I never recommend that people try to relocate stinging insects themselves. Call ABC Pest Management at 294-6601. They can remove bees.

Merrill Jones:

What to do about leaf cutters? Our larger plants tolerate them, but they killed a small rosebush last year.

Richard ("Bugman" ) Fagerlund:

Powder the leaves with diatomaceous earth. You can also mix it with water and spray it on. That will deter the leafcutters.

The bugs that bug you

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